’90s rapper pleads guilty in Albany for not paying taxes

A rapper from the 1990s hip-hop group 3rd Bass — which briefly grabbed fame with its 1991 chart-topping hit “Pop Goes the Weasel!” — pleaded guilty Tuesday in Albany County Court for not paying his taxes.

Peter Nash, whose stage name was “Prime Minister Pete Nice,” did not pay taxes in 2009, 2010, and 2011, the Albany County District Attorney’s Office said.

Nash, who lives in Clifton Park, must pay $13,101 to the state in back taxes, penalties and interest. He will also be placed on three years probation, the district attorney’s office said. Nash pleaded guilty to misdemeanor criminal tax fraud. He will be sentenced on Aug. 26.

Nash and 3rd Bass released three albums between 1989 and 1991, two of which went gold. “Pop Goes the Weasel!” reached No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard rap charts. The song assailed rapper Vanilla Ice.

After retiring from rapping, Nash became a baseball historian, opening a memorabilia shop in Cooperstown and publishing a baseball book. Financial troubles surrounded his ventures, however. Earlier this year, a New Jersey judge ordered Nash to pay $260,000 to an auction house as part of a protracted legal battle.